Motor control means for spotting mechanism



May 23, 1961 s. T. CARTER 2,985,283

MOTOR CONTROL MEANS FOR SPOTTING MECHANISM Original Filed April 13, 19542 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jive e22 for y 23, 1951 s. T. CARTER 2,985,283

MOTOR CONTROL MEANS FOR SPOTTING MECHANISM Original Filed April 13, 19542 SheetsSheet 2 ijnited States Patent i MOTOR CONTROL MEANS FOR SPOTTINGMECHANISM Sidney T. Carter, Shrewsbury, Mass., assignor to Geo.

J. Meyer Manufacturing Co., Cudahy, Wis, a corporation of WisconsinOriginal application Apr. 13, 1954, Ser. No. 422,890,

now Patent No. 2,880,845, dated Apr. 7, 1959. D1- vided and thisapplication Aug. 5, 1958, Ser. No. 753,241

2 Claims. (Cl. 198-232) This invention pertains to apparatus of the typeknown as spotting mechanism" whose purpose is to orient an article, forinstance a bottle to which a label or the like is to be applied, so asto insure the application of the label to a definite area of theperipheral surface of the bottle, this application being a division ofthe co-pending application for Letters Patent, Serial No. 422,890, filedApril 13, 1954, now Patent No. 2,880,845, by Sidney T. Carter, forSpotting Mechanism for Use With Article-Banding Machines. Such spottingmechanism is customarily employed as an adjunct to a labeling machineand usually comprises means, including a friction clutch, for rotatingthe bottle through an arc of indeterminate extent until a projection,for instance a socalled teardrop on the peripheral surface of thebottle, contacts an abutment element and thereafter the clutch slips. Inlabeling machine practice it is customary to engage a so-called headgrip with the top of the bottle neck, or a cap thereon, to hold thebottle in the final position of orientation resultant from its rotationand engagement with the abutment, until the label has been properlyapplied. However, if for any reason it is not practicable to employ ahead grip, the above suggested spotter apparatus cannot be employed withany certainty that the bottle will be oriented to an exact predeterminedposition. For example, if a bottle having ,a label already appliedthereto is to have a neckband ceedingly rapid, so that the timeavailable for orienting the bottle is very limited. Since, at times, thebottle may have to be turned through an arc of approximately 360, a veryhigh angular velocity of rotation must be available, while on the otherhand the stopping of the bottle, when the projection or teardrop engagesthe abutment must be so controlled as to avoid breakage.

The present invention has for one of its objects the provision ofautomatic means for stopping the drive motor for the spotting apparatusin the event that a jam of articles occur within the spotting apparatusitself or on the delivery conveyor leading from the spotting appa- Afurther object is to provide automatic means for starting the apparatusin response to the accumulation of a predetermined number of articles onthe ter- .minalportion of the supply conveyor adjacent to the .entranceto the spotting apparatus.

vcan only be broken at a predetermined time in the operating cycle ofthe spotting apparatus. Other and further objects and advantages of theinvention will be pointed out in the following more detailed descriptionand by reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. l is a diagrammatic elevation, partly in vertical ,7

i ce section in a diametrical plane through the axis of the star wheelwhich forms a part of the spotting apparatus, said plane making an angleof approximately 45 with the centerline of the conveyor path;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the relation of the starwheel to the supply and delivery conveyors and illustrating automaticmeans for starting and stopping the machine;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary section to a larger scale substantially on theline 3--3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the normally stationary guide which cooperateswith the lower element of the star wheel to confine the bottle to apredetermined path;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the corresponding normally stationary guidemember which cooperates with the upper member of the star wheel;

Fig. 6 is an edge elevation of a support for the normally stationaryguide elements of the spotting mechanism, and which is movable inresponse to a jam 'of articles in passing the spotting mechanism so asto permit the guide members to move away from the star wheel; and

Fig. 7 is a diagram merely to illustrate in general such a controlcircuit as may be found useful in the practice of the invention, and thespecific details of which are well within the knowledge of those skilledin the electrical arts.

While it is to be understood that the spotting mechanism hereindisclosed is of more general utility (although particularly adapted foruse in a banding machine where the operation to be performed isextremely rapid), the invention is here illustrated with especialreference to its application to a neckbanding machine of the generaltype of that more fully illustrated and described in Patent No.2,760,321 to Henry W. Greer et al., entitled Device for Applying Bandsto Containers and dated August 28, 1956. The bottle is brought to theband-applying mechanism by a conveyor 21 (Fig. 2) and after receivingthe band is carried away by a conveyor 22. These conveyors areconstantly moving at uniform speed and the bottles are transferred fromthe supply conveyor 21 to the delivery conveyor 22 by means of anintermittently moving star wheel W (Fig. 2), and while thus beingtransferred from the supply conveyor 21 to the plate 20 (on which thebottle dwells while receiving the band) the bottles are oriented so as,for example, to insure that a design carried by the band G (Fig. 1) willbe, when the band is applied, in accurately registered or predeterminedrelation to a design carried by a label on the body of bottle B.

Referring to Fig. 2, the numeral 24 designates the axis of the starwheel W forming a part of the spotting mechanism. As illustrated in Fig.2, the broken line XX diagrammatically designates the center line ofconveyor means 21 (Fig. 2) which brings the bottles to the spottingmechanism and conveyor means 22 (Fig. 2) which carries them away fromthe spotting mechanism. While these two conveyors are shown as alignedwith each other, this is not necessary, since the discharge or deliveryconveyor 22 may lead oii from the center of the apparatus at an angleexceeding away from the supply conveyor.

The star wheel W comprises a vertical shaft 27 (Fig. l), a bottom plate28 (Fig. 1) and a top plate 29 (Fig. 1), these plates being secured, inverticallyspaced relation, to the shaft 27 to turn with the latter.Suitable bearings (not shown) for the shaft are provided and the shaftis turned intermittently through an angle of 45 by means including aGeneva motion, one element of which is fixed to the shaft and indicatedat 27a (Fig. 1). The bottom plate 28 is provided with a plurality ofuniaesaaea formly spaced recesses, each of a radius such that it mayreceive the body portion of the bottle which is to be spotted. The upperplate 29 is likewise provided with uniformly spaced recesses (not hereshown) of smaller radius than the recesses in the bottom plate, andwhich are designed to receive, the neck portions of the bottles, thecenter of curvature of each recess in the top plate being in the sameradial plane of the star wheel as the center of curvature of thecorresponding recess in the bottom plate.

In order to confine the bottles to the recesses of the star wheel asthey are moved along :by the star wheel, normally stationary guideplates 35 and 36 (Fig; l) are provided, these guide plates beingdisposed substantially in the horizontal planes of the star wheelmembers 28 and 29, respectively, and being held in properly spacedrelation by means of posts or columns 35a preferably ofadjustablelength. The lower guide plate 35 (Fig. 4) is provided with recesses 37and 38 for the accommodation of bottle spinning rolls (not shown), whilethe upper plate 36 (Fig. is provided with recesses 39 and 40 for thereception of antifriction rolls 41 and 42 (Fig. 5 mounted at the freeends of horizontally swinging levers 43 and 44 which are urged inwardlyby means of springs 45 so as resiliently to press the rolls 41 and 42against the necks N of the bottles. The numeral 20 (Fig. 1) indicatesthe stationary plate whose upper surface is in the horizontal plane ofthe bottle-supporting surface of the conveyor, theplate 20 supportingthe bottle while the latter is being moved by the star wheel from thesupply conveyor to the delivery or discharge conveyor. As shown in Fig.1, this stationary supporting plate 29 is located a short distance abovethe upper surface of the table 48 of the banding machine.

Referring to Fig. 4, the numeral 83 indicates a piece of soft resilientfriction material, for example felt, which is mounted in a clamp carriedby the normally stationary guide plate 3 5 and which is so located as tobe engaged by the periphery of the body portion of a bottle as thelatter is moved along by the star wheel.

The upper and lower guide plates 36 and 35 are rigidly connected byposts 35a (Fig. 1) to form a unitary structure and this structure ismounted on a horizontally swinging arm 84 (Fig. 2) which is pivotallysupported at one end to swing about a vertical pin 85 projecting up fromthe machine table 48. The arm 84 (Fig. 6) has upwardly projecting bosses86 and 86a which form anchorages for the lower ends of posts 87 (Figs. 1and 2) which rigidly unite the lower guide plate 35 tothe arm 84.Desirably the arm 84 has downwardly directed bosses 88 and 88a (Fig. 6)having finished lower surfaces which slide upon the upper surface of thetable 43. A spring 89 (Fig. 2) tends to swing the arm 34 in a clockwisedirection.

Near its free end the arm 84 carries a bolt 90 (Fig. 2) which extendsdown through a slot 91 in the table 48. To the lower end of this bolt isfixed a block 92 (Fig. 3) so located as normally to engage the actuatingpin 93 (Fig. 3) of a snap-action electrical switch 94 (Figs. 2, 3 and-7)fixed to the under surface of the table 4-8. However, if a jam occursbetween the star wheel W and the guide plates 35 and 36, the arm 84 willswing outwardly in opposition to the spring 89, thus removing the block92 from the pin 93 and breaking the electrical circuit controlled by theswitch 94.

As illustrated in Figs. 2 and 7 another snap-action electrical switch 95is suitably mounted at a point near the terminus of the supply conveyor2!, this switch being of the type which has a rotary actuating pin andto this pin issecured a long, desirably flexible arm 96 which extendsdiagonally across the conveyor 21 in position to be engaged by articlesmoving along the conveyor 21 and appreaching the star wheel. The switch95 is so connected into the circuit of the motor M (Fig. '7) whichoperates the banding machinethat when the arm 96 yields in response topressure of a bottle against it, the switch 95 is closed to complete themotor circuit and thus initiates the starting of the machine. Desirablythe electrical circuit connections are such that when the starter switch95, for initiating operation of the machine as a whole, is closed, themotor circuit is not actually completed until time has elapsedsufficient for several bottles to have arrived at the terminus ofconveyor 21. For this purpose the motor circuit' is preferably designedto include an electronic timer TD (Fig. 7) of conventional type whichdelays the actual closing of the motor circuit after. the actuation ofswitch arm 96 until time has elapsed sufficient to insure the presenceof a predetermined number of articles near the delivery end of theconveyor 21. If the incoming articles are not advancing in a continuousstream. but are separated one from another by short distances, the motor(except for this delay action device) would stop and start for eacharticle. Suchperformance would be unsatisfactory from a wear standpoint.j Thus articles will accumulate on the conveyor 21 and the machinestarts and stops for groups of articles rather than for each isolatedarticle moving along the conveyor.

As shown in Fig. 2, the machine also comprises a snapaction switch 97suitably mounted on the machine table and having an actuating arm '98 ofthe rotary type and which has a portion 99 which lies substantiallyparallel to the, delivery conveyor 22. The arrangement of this switch issuch that if, through failure of the delivery conveyor 22 to removearticles from the star wheel as. fast as they are expelled by thelatter, the arm 99 will be swung by the lateral pressure of articlesaccumulating at the entrance of the delivery conveyor and will soactuate the switch 97 as to stop the machine motor. Because of thecomplicated mechanically interlocked movements used in the bandingmachine, it is undesirable to stop the machine haphazardly at any pointin the cycle. It is essential, for example, to have the star wheel stopexactly in proper registry with the conveyor 21 so as to be ready toaccept the next incoming bottle from the conveyor 21 without jamming.For this reason, a limit switch LS (Fig. 7) is incorporated in the motorcircuit, this switch'be-ing normally closed. However, once in each cycleof operation of the machine, this switch is opened by a cam C mounted ona shaft T which rotates in time with the star wheelf The arrangement issuch that, after closure of the switch 95 and the starting of the motorM, the switch LS is immediately closed but is opened once during eachcycle. If any of the switches 94, 95 or 97 be opened, after the motorhas started, the motor circuit will be maintained closed at the switchL'S, but at a predetermined time in the cycle of operation the cam Cwill open switch LS, whereupon the motor circuit is broken and the starwheel stops.

While one desirable embodiment of the invention has herein beenillustrated and described by way of example, .it is to be understoodthat the invention is inclusive of any and all modifications within thescope of the claims.

I claim:

1. In combination, inan article processing machine having a verticalshaft to which is fixed a star wheel having peripherally open recessesfor the reception of articles, rectilinear, aligned conveyors whosecenter lines are radial with respect to the axis of said shaft, one ofsaid conveyors supplying articles directly to and the other removingarticles directly from the processing machine, an electric motor forturning said vertical shaft thereby to move the articles along anarcuate path coaxial with said shaft while they are being processed, aguide having an arcuate surface, normally concentric with the starwheel, for retaining said articles within said recesses, a normallystationary support on which the guide is mounted, the support beingpivoted to swing toward or from the shaft about a vertical axis, springmeans urging the support toward the shaft, and .a stop element forlimiting such movement, a normally closed switch in the motor circuit,means actuated by the support, in moving outwardly away'fron'i'the'shaft, in response is 'a'jam ofarticles between the guideand star wheel, to open said switch, and means operative to prevent themotor from stopping when said switch is opened, except when the starwheel is in article receiving position, a normally open switch, inseries with the aforesaid switch, a detector element responsive to thepresence of an article at the delivery end of the supply conveyor andwhich is about to enter a recess of the star wheel, said detectorelement, by its response to the pressure of an article, closing saidlast-named switch, and delaying means in series with said last-namedswitch such that the motor circuit is not completed to start the machineuntil sufiicient time has elapsed, after closure of said switch, for theaccumulation of a plurality of articles at the terminus of the supplyconveyor.

2. In combination, in spotting apparatus of the class described andwhich is driven by an electric motor and to which articles are deliveredand taken away by rectilinear, aligned, constantly running conveyors,the spotting apparatus comprising a vertical shaft whose axis is in thevertical plane of the center lines of said conveyors, a star wheel fixedto said shaft and which moves the articles along an arcuate path,coaxial with such vertical shaft, while they are being spotted and whichtransfers them directly from the supply conveyor to the deliveryconveyor, normally stationery but movable guide means normallypositioned to keep articles in operative relation to the star wheel asthe latter moves them along said arcuate path, the motor control circuithaving three switches therein, arranged in series one switch beingnormally open but closing automatically in response to the arrival of anarticle at the terminus of the supply conveyor, electronic delay meansin said circuit, in series with said normally open switch, whereby themotor circuit is not completed and the motor is not started untilsufficient time has elapsed, after the closure of said normally openswitch, to permit the accumulation of a plurality of articles at theterminus of the supply conveyor, the second of said switches beingnormally closed but automatically opening in response to an abnormalaccumulation of articles on the delivery conveyor, and the third of saidswitches being normally closed but automatically opening in response toa jam of articles between the star wheel and said guide means, and acam-actuated switch, in parallel with the aforesaid switches, operative,upon opening of any of said switches aft-er the motor circuit has beenclosed, to keep the motor circuit closed until the star wheel hasreached a predetermined point in its cycle of rotation.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,013,144 Gladfelter Sept. 3, 1935 2,547,076 Du Bois Apr. 3,19512,579,404 Stevenson Dec. 18, 1951 2,599,220 Bergmann June 3, 19522,858,010 Adams Oct. 28, 1958

